On Abortion

I am against abortion. Completely and totally. But this video below really struck me as the type of woman who should be able to get an abortion if she wants. She is smart*, logical and she admits that there are after-effects of the abortion that she hadn't expected. She thought it through, made her decision and lived with the consequences.

*NOTE: The only thing that would make me question her is the fact that she mentions she's used the morning after pill a few times. If she really doesn't want to get pregnant that badly, contraception should be more of a prominent priority in her life.

It's been a messy few weeks...

An update on our recent "stuff"...

- Boy 1 was rejected for an early literacy program at school because he is below the levels they are trying to help. Good news is that he's receiving help and/or special ed 3 times a week which is much more than he's ever received before.

- The entire school's pizza lunch program was cancelled so there's no more fight over letting parents help. 

- We have finally received a court date for taking our land/scum lords to the housing tribunal. Thankfully I've kept impeccable records of all conversations and emails. Last week the landlord called me a "crazy bitch". Although he may indeed be correct, I think being upset over not having locking doors, a working furnace or hot water warrants at least a little bit of crazy.

- Our neighbour's dog had puppies. Golden line from boy 1... "Mom, did she have to wreck her belly to get them out?"

- I seem to have a huge amount of excess creative energy since I'm no longer making cakes. I'm transferring the energy to crafting which I'm sure  I think is driving my husband bananas. I've committed to making at least 80% of our Christmas gifts... wish me luck.

- I started actively looking for work this week. While I'd really like to start work in the not for profit/social profit industry now, I don't have a lot of paper skills, just practical. Seriously looking forward to attending Conestoga College next year and starting this journey. Until then, I'm looking for something part-time to fill my hours and contribute to some household bills.

- We went to the opening of the Avatar exhibit at THEMUSEUM in Kitchener. Next week I'll share some pictures from this super interactive show.

That's it for now. Next week I'll be sharing my thoughts on Avatar, how to make an epipen belt and reveal the lampshade I made out of old records for my retro dining room!

I'm angry. You've been warned.

I got a note home yesterday, crumpled in the bottom of my 4 year old's backpack. This is what it says:

Dear Parents/Guardians,
Unfortunately, due to the current political situation, Room 4 will not be participating in Pizza Thursdays until further notice. Please pack a full lunch for your son/daughter on Thursdays.

I understand that Ontario teachers are fighting what they feel are grave injustices. Do I agree with them? Not so much. But in the end, they're fighting, as teachers are prone to do. I've seen teachers strike before, I've seen them threaten to strike many times and I've seen them pull back services in schools.

And then I had kids. Now it really matters.

Now I know that raising a ruckus over pizza day seems silly. It is! But for me, I'm looking at the root of the issue and what the school administrator's are doing about it.

I called the school and asked why pizza day was being cancelled. "I can't comment on that, you'll have to ask the teacher" I was told.

I explained to the administrator that my son felt left out because his older brother would still be getting pizza. I explained that I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to bring in pizza for my boy on Thursdays but I know that other parents aren't always able to do so.

I asked if a parent volunteer could come in and take care of the pizza dealings so the class could still have pizza. "I'm sorry, you'll have to ask the teacher permission, it's their decision."

Here's where I get angry. Our government has foolishly given teachers so much power that they are able to threaten to strike just about every year for just about any reason imaginable.

Our government has also apparently given the teachers complete control over their classrooms and whether or not a parent is allowed to come in and do the work that the teacher refuses to do???

This is not about pizza. This is about control. This is about teachers taking their issues out on the kids. If there is a club that a teacher normally runs each year but decides not to, no big deal. If a teacher decides to longer run the intramural league, although sad, is no big deal. But if the school is having the pizza, the entire school should have pizza. If the teachers don't want to serve pizza either let the parents come in and do it or have no pizza days. You can't shut it out of one class but not the others.

When will the Ontario government stop letting the teachers union run the whole damn show?